Some ingredients in the Egyptian cuisine are not found in other places. • Samnah Baladi سمنة بلدي (Egyptian Ghee) This is the Egyptian Ghee, made from the Water Buffalo's Milk, and therefore totally white and harder than normal cow's ghee. • Zebdah Baladi زبدة بلدي (Egyptian Butter) This is obtained by melting the Samnah Baladi. The result is hard white butter rolled into large balls. • Laban Rayeb لبن رايب This is a uniquely countryside product. This is a youghurt like product, made more or less like regular youghurt, but in special earthen ware containers (called Shalya شالية very similar to a large flower pot) after warming the traditional oven. Ful (Fava Beans) and its derivatives: What Egyptians call Ful is Fava beans (or Broad Beans). This is a staple for Egyptians, and is considered the national dish. • Fool Medamesفول مدمس Boiled overnight on a very low flame in special utensils. Some utensils are adapted to work on the glass of a small kerosene lamp قدرة دماسة سهاري • Fool Akhdarفول أخصر Green fresh Fava Beans, eaten with white cheese • Besaraبصارة Mashed Fava beans made into a puree and cooked, then poured into containers and left to "set". • Fool Nabetفول نابت The fava beans are germinated a bit, before being made into a special soup. • Falafel / Ta3meyyaفلافل طعمية A mixture of fava beans that are soaked overnight then mixed with other ingredients (onions, spring onions, leeks, stale bread, coriander) blended together, then made into patties that are fried. After they are fried, they are ade into sandwitches, eaten with Tahina (Sesame seed paste), pickles, salad. Yummy! Egyptian Cuisine: Appetizers: These are items that are used as a preamble for a big meal, or as treats and snacks at some other time. • Mekhalel / Torshi - Pickles The Egyptian word Mekhalel مخلل means 'Pickled', and the origin lies in خل which is vinegar. The Torshi word is borrowed from Turkish. The following things are used for pickles in Egypt: o Turnips لفت o Onions o Carrots o Cucumbers o Chilli Peppers o Olives • Gebnah Roomi / Gebnah Torki جبنة رومي، جبنة تركي Roman Cheese / Turkish Cheese. This is probably a local variation on "Parmigiano-Reggiano", from Parma, Italy. • Gebnah Areesh جبنة قريش White Cheese, home made by farmers, drained in straw matts, and has very low salt content • Mesh مش This is Gebnah Areesh but aged for years, with hot Chilli pepper added. • Mortah مورطة After boiling the home made Zebdah Baladi زبدة بلدي to make Samnah Baladi سمنة بلدي, the residue left is Mortah, used as an appetizer. • Feseekh فسيخ - Putrid Mullet fish This is dried then salted grey mullet fish. Check this page dedicated to this Egyptian speciality. • Batarekh بطارخ - Salted and Dried Fish Roe This is the Egyptian Caviar. Check this page dedicated to this Egyptian delicacy. • Sardeen Memalla7 سردين مملح - Salted Sardines Salted Sardines • Bastermah (or Basterma) بسطرمة - similar to Pastrami This is borrowed from the Turks. It is beef that is dried and salted, and coated with a paste made from a mix fenugreek (helba حلبة), garlic, and paprika, and salt. It is then left in the air and sun to dry. Used in breakfast, with eggs, and as a snack. • Sogo2 ba2alli سجق بقالي Dried Sausage Egyptian Cuisine: Breads: There are several forms of bread that are uniquely Egyptian. • 3eish Shami (Syrian Bread - Pita bread عيش شامي) The strange thing about this type of bread, is that Egyptians call it Syrian, while the Syrians call it Egyptian! Why is that so? I don't know. This type of bread is the flat rounded type made from white flour. Upon baking in the oven, it separates into two layers, an upper one and a lower one. This is what makes it "pocket bread", and can be filled with other fodd stuff to make sandwitches. • 3eish Baladi عيش بلدي This type is very similar to the one above, except that it is made of whole wheat flour, and contains something that makes it sticky from the inside. • 3eish Saymeenعيش صايمين (Fasting People's Bread) This is thicker bread more like western types with lots of air inside. It is however round like most native Egyptian types. • 3eish Meladden عيش ملدن A very thin bread that is kind of hard. This is found only in the really rural areas. • 3eish Dorah عيش درة Made from Corn flour. • Feteer Meshaltet فطير مشلتت This is a very delicious (and very unhealthy) classic Egyptian pastry. It is made in layers that are rolled and laced with Samnah, then cooked in a traditional oven. It is eaten with cheeses, honey, cream, ...etc. Egyptian Cuisine: Fresh Vegetables: • Gargeer جرجير - Water cress • Fegl فجل - Radish. Two types are eaten, white longish roots, and the red round ones common elsewhere. • Korrat كرات - Leeks • Basal Akhdar بصل أخضر - Green Onions • Malana ملانة - This is green chickpea shoots. Eaten in Sham El Neseem شم النسيم, a spring celebration from ancient times • Serees سريس • Galawen جلاوين Egyptian Cuisine: Cooked Vegetables: • Molokheyya - Jew's Mallow ملوخية This is made into a green slimy soup with dried coriander and garlic. The soup is normally Rabbit, Chicken, or Duck. We have a special page dedicated to it. • Colcassia (Ol2as) قلقاس Tuber roots made into cubes and a green stew, or sliced and cooked with Tomatoe • Bamia - Okra - Lady's Finger بامية The fruit of a Hibiscus plant. Cooked with Tomatoes • Regla - Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) رجلة While this is considered a weed in some parts of the world, in Egypt, this is an edible succulent vegetable with fleshy round leaves . Cooked in a tomato sauce. • Khobeiza خبيزة The leaves of this plant is cooked in a way reminiscent of Molokheyya. Egyptian Cuisine: Meats: Egyptians mainly eat beef, and more specifically veal. Mutton is not very commonly used in day to day cooking for city folk or even rural agricultural areas, contrary to the practice in most neighboring countries. Mutton is reserved for "eating out" barbeque as "Kabab". The Bedouin inhabitants of the desert make it their main meat. Egyptian Cuisine: Poultry: • Chicken • Batt Baladi بط بلدي (Duck - Mainly domesticated Muscovy Duck, normaly the male Drake) • 7amamحمام - Pigeons are raised in special 'towers' and pre-flight chicks are used, before their meat becomes harder from flight. • Turkey ديك رومي - دندي Egyptian Cuisine: Game: • Rabbit أرنب is raised by many people in Egypt for food purposes. An excellent dish is Molokheya with Rabbit ملوخية بالأرانب Egyptian Cuisine: Rice: • Koshariكشري There are two version of this dish: o Genuine This consists of red lentils and rich cooked together. Eaten with fresh onions, and dried herrings. o Cairene This consists of red lentils, rice, black lentils (with the seed cover), macaroni together. Egyptian Cuisine: Sweets and Desserts: The ingredients in Egyptian sweets and desserts are found in other cuisines. • 3asal eswed عسل أسود(Black Honey - Molasses) • 7alawa tehineyya حلاوة طحينية (Sesame Seed paste and sugar) • Mehalabia مهلبية • Roz bel laban رز بلبن Rice and Milk • 3ashurah عاشوراء • Konafa كنافة • 2Tayef قطايف • Baqlawa بقلاوة same as Baklava in other Eastern Mediterranean countries • Umm Ali أم علي pastry with milk, sugar, and raisins • Loqmet El Qadi لقمة القاضي deep fried fritters in thick syrup Egyptian Cuisine: Fruits: Some fruits found in Egypt are not found anywhere else, even though they are few. Other fruits in Egypt are grown in other places, even though they may not be consumed in these other places. • Gemeiz جميز • Harankash حرنكش، الست المستحية، الست المستخبية • Bashmalah (Escadonia) بشملة • Nab2 نبق • Teen Shoki تين شوكي - Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit • Toot توت - Mulberry fruit. Two types, red and white • Meshmesheyya مشمية - Dried seedless Apricots • Teen - Figs تين o Teen Barshoomi برشومي o Teen Sultani سلطاني o Teen 3asali عسلي o Teen Kometra كمثرى o Teen 3ads عدس ~~~~~~ Compiled by Hoda Nassef
